In many industrial processes, fluids are transported through hoses. Depending on the application, leakage of any amount of the fluid may be critical. In the transportation of hazardous fluids, an unchecked leak can be extremely costly. A hose that provides notification that it is leaking is desirable in such applications.
Attempts at creating a leak detecting hose were addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,497. In this hose, an inner liner has a first layer of braided copper wire placed over it. A layer of electrically insulating material encompasses the first layer of copper wire. A second layer of braided copper wire is placed over the insulating material. A finishing layer encompasses the hose assembly described. The braided layers of copper wire are electrically connected through the use of a bipolar socket. When the inner wires wear out due to abrasion, the first and second layers of wires will no longer be connected, and a sensor will detect the open circuit due to wear. The invention of this patent attempts to prevent leaks by detecting wear before the hose is weakened to a point where it cannot contain the pressure within itself. Currently, a small pinhole leak would remain undetected as long as enough of the copper wires remained in contact to complete an electric circuit.